


Length of the Darkness (Length of the Light)

by escritoireazul



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Monsters, Bisexual Female Character, Canon Jewish Character, Character Turned Into Monster Slayer, Cheerleader Turned Into Monster Slayer, Community: fandomstocking, Gen, Women Being Awesome, offscreen major character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-14
Updated: 2012-03-14
Packaged: 2017-11-01 22:20:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/361913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/escritoireazul/pseuds/escritoireazul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Throughout the longest night, and the shortest, they light the flame and they mourn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Length of the Darkness (Length of the Light)

**Author's Note:**

> Author's note: Slice of life apocalypse AU that does not take season three into account at all.  
> Written for: missyvortexdv for Fandom Stocking 2011

On the longest night of the year, they sit together on the porch, bundled up against the cold that snaps hard against any bared skin. Lauren flexes her toes in her boots and tugs on her scarf, making sure her throat is covered.

In the summer, it’s better, bare skin and a warm breeze and the song of Puck’s guitar rising throughout the short night. They light a candle then, way too hot for a bonfire. It should be one candle for each friend they’ve lost, but they can’t waste their candles like that.

Even if they burned them all, they wouldn’t have enough for everyone they’ve lost, not sitting vigil twice a year the way they do.

Puck snuggles in on one side of Lauren. There’s room on her other side for Quinn, but Quinn tosses another log on the fire and stands there until it catches. She’s facing them, her back to the dark forest, and firelight casts long fingers of shadow across her face.

Lauren can’t stand with her back to the trees like that, even with the big sturdy fence they’ve built. It’s been two years since they fled Lima, two and a half since everything began, and still Lauren is sometimes awed by Quinn’s bravery.

Shannon brings out hot tea for them, but doesn’t stay. The nights they light fires in memory of the others, those nights are for them. Shannon holds vigil in her own way.

Puck tilts his head against Lauren’s shoulder. His wool hat scrapes her cheek a little when she presses it against the top of his head, but it’s the winter solstice and the fire burns hard and the woods haven’t gone unnaturally silent for months now. A little discomfort is worth being next to him and feeling something close to safe.

She takes one of his hands in hers, but keeps the other on her gun. Nothing moving through their section of the woods or not, she’s not stupid. There are monsters in the darkness now, monsters in the daylight, and they are never really safe.

Quinn adds another couple logs to the fire and finally joins them on the porch. She slips into her space next to Lauren, drawing up one leg to rest her foot on the edge of the swing. Her breath comes out in bright puffs of steam, and the corner of her mouth turns up as she watches the fire. She hooks one arm around her knee and stretches the other along the back of the swing. Lauren doesn’t have to look to know Quinn’s hand settles against Puck.

They’ve come a long way from that afternoon when Quinn stumbled into the weight room covered in blood, the big hedge clippers gripped tight in her right hand. She bared her teeth at Lauren then, breathing hard, and though it probably only took a second or two for her to find her voice, it felt like a year, like the rest of her life there and gone.

The rest of the wrestling squad scattered, but Lauren ran straight for the football field before she’d even given it a thought. She doesn’t know why Quinn followed her, but none of them would be here if she hadn’t, so whatever turned former cheerleader into asskicking monster killer, well, Lauren’s pretty damn grateful.

“We can’t stay much longer.” Quinn’s voice is strong and unmuffled. Lauren sits up straight and turns to look at her properly, but Quinn’s eyes stay on the fire, that tiny smile in place. Sometimes, at night, when Lauren wakes up to pee or get a drink of water, she finds Quinn at one of the windows, gun on the sill, the only light that of the moon and stars falling across her face.

Lauren watches from the shadows, and if Quinn turns to look at her, sometimes her eyes catch the light just so.


End file.
